The present invention broadly relates to an apparatus for inserting or ramming cartridges into the weapon barrel of a firing weapon. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a new and improved construction of an apparatus for inserting or ramming cartridges into the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel of an automatic firing weapon having a reciprocating bolt or breechblock which inserts or rams the cartridges from a cartridge feed or supply channel arranged adjacent to the weapon into the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel. The apparatus contains guide means which depress or deflect the cartridge to be inserted from the cartridge feed channel toward the weapon barrel.
Generally speaking, the apparatus of the present invention for inserting or ramming cartridges into the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel of an automatic firing weapon comprises a cartridge feed channel arranged adjacent to the weapon barrel, a reciprocating breechblock for inserting or ramming cartridges from the cartridge feed channel into the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel, and guide means for deflecting or depressing cartridges in the cartridge feed channel toward the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel.
Known apparatus of this type are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
1,005,263, granted Oct. 10, 1911 PA1 2,397,501, granted Apr. 2, 1946 PA1 2,486,878, granted Nov. 1, 1949 PA1 2,857,813, granted Oct. 28, 1958 PA1 2,875,671, granted Mar. 3, 1959 PA1 3,080,793, granted Mar. 12, 1963 PA1 3,630,118, granted Dec. 28, 1971 PA1 3,680,432, granted Aug. 1, 1972 PA1 3,955,469, granted May 11, 1976 PA1 4,069,740, granted Jan. 24, 1978 PA1 4,280,392, granted July 28, 1981
as well as in British Patent No. 555,265, granted Aug. 13, 1943, Danish Patent No. 87,743, published Nov. 16, 1959, and French Patent Publication No. 2,271,535, published Dec. 12, 1975.
All such known apparatuses contain resilient or spring-loaded guide elements for deflecting or depressing the cartridges present in the cartridge feed or supply channel toward the cartridge chamber during the time such cartridges are inserted from the cartridge feed or supply channel into the cartridge chamber. It has now been found that resilient or spring-loaded elements are unsuitable for such use because the resilient or spring-loaded elements are too weak to withstand the strong forces appearing during the insertion of cartridges from the cartridge feed or supply channel into the cartridge chamber of the weapon barrel.